UNB researchers investigate deadly bat fungus
Damira Davletyarova
The Brunswickan
Researchers, including the faculty of biology at the University of New Brunswick,
are searching for a way to explain and
stop a phenomenon that has killed nearly
seven million little brown bats in just six
years, pushing the species to the verge of
extinction.
In 2006, scientists in New York State
noticed a decrease in the bat population.
After surveying some caves, they discovered
some hibernating bats had white spots on
their muzzles and wings. The fungus has
been aptly named white-nose syndrome.
In 2010, Graham Forbes, a professor of
biology at UNB and director of the N.B.
Cooperative Fish Wildlife Research Unit,
and his team, also decided to check local
caves to see whether the infection had
spread to New Brunswick.
“It was new species [fungus] and nobody
knew where it came from, in part because

nobody has done research on what type of
fungus is already in caves or on bats. So we
wanted to find out; maybe it was already
here and no one looked for it,” Forbes said.
The team surveyed several caves and
found no evidence of white-nose syndrome
among hibernating bats. They have also
collected data from several bats to determine what types of fungi reside on the bats.
Last winter, when researchers returned,
they found symptoms of white-nose syndrome on little brown bats - one of only
two types of bats besides the northern longeared bats that are common to the province.
In one of the biggest caves, the researchers counted 6,000 hibernating bats, including the infected.
Karen Vanderwolf, a graduate student
at UNB, has been working with professor Forbes in conjunction with the New
Brunswick Museum, surveying the sites
and probing the microclimate of the fungi.
“We confirmed from the research that
it [white-nose syndrome] wasn’t here until

2011 and we also wanted to find out what
sort of fungus community was normally
on the bats.”
This winter, Forbes and his team did not
have to enter the same site to see a different
picture - flying bats outside of the cave, dead
bodies on the snow.
“Most of them died right at the entrance,
thousands of dead bats on the ground,”
Forbes said.
The scientists counted only 300 bats in
that cave - a 95 per cent drop in one winter.
Professor Forbes and Vanderwolf described how they are conducting their
research.
They keep a close look on nine bat sites
that mostly stretch from the Bay of Fundy
to Moncton. Some of the caves are open
and easy to get into; others so narrow that
researchers have to crawl.
They also have to be extra careful not to
transmit the syndrome from the infected
bats to healthy ones. The scientists wear
special clothing, use clean equipment and

spend less than an hour in each cave.
“It spreads on contact, either on the walls
or the bats, and because they are [hibernating] in groups - one gets and spreads to the
other ones,” Forbes explained. And because
New Brunswick doesn’t have many caves,
bats fly hundreds of kilometres across the
province, gathering in one cave, transmitting the disease even faster.
Once in the cave, the team counts
the bats, which is sometimes hard - even
impossible - because of the high ceilings of
the cave. Sometimes the researchers take a
picture and estimate the number of species.
Then, they carefully isolate one hibernating bat from the group and rub its fungus
on a special plate - agar plate - and hang the
bat back. They take the agar plates to the
labs for further studying. The researchers
also measure and monitor temperature and
humidity in the caves.
Cold and wet caves are an ideal environment for the fungus to thrive, Forbes
explained. Fungus attaches to the bodies of
hibernating bats and starts growing into the
skin tissue. As a result, the mammals wakeup from itching and irritation in the middle
of the winter, instead of April.
“To wake-up [in winter], they have to
raise their body temperature and they have

to burn their fat reserve,” Forbes explained.
“And they are either hungry or thirsty
or both; they look for water, for food - it
takes them outside. There is no food and
it’s minus 10 - they are going to die pretty
soon.”
Starvation and dehydration also decreases the immune system of the little brown
bats and their ability to fight away infection.
Meanwhile, the white-nose syndrome
is spreading fast - it is estimated to spread
from 200 to 400 kilometres per year. In
just six years, the syndrome spread across
19 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces;
it is expected that the infection will expand
all over Canada.
The loss of major pest predators will
affect flora and fauna, and even humans,
as the abundance of bugs and mosquitoes
increases risks of transmission of different
diseases.
Now UNB researches roughly estimate
the population of bats in New Brunswick
- that was not abundant in the first place shrank from 10,000 to 3,000 species.
“For Eastern America, one of the most
abundant mammals are essentially gone in
five-ten years,” Forbes said.
“It’s one of the biggest, catastrophic
losses of mammal species that we know of.”

Some New Brunswick little brown bats in a cave. Submitted.

brunswickannews

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 3

Taking the plunge
Scan QR code to see
the Polar Dip video or
visit thebruns.ca

Christopher Cameron
Editor-in-Chief
Although participants were tearing
it up with crazy jumps at Saturday’s
Bridges House Polar Dip, there was
one tear that almost cancelled the
event.
“This year our lining tore while
we were filing it up, so that’s why the
tarp is there,” said Bridges president
Corey McMillan. “It was a big scare.
Gary (don of Bridges) came in my
room and said no Polar Dip. Luckily
we fixed it last minute and were able
to continue on with the event and
raise money.”
In total there were 63 people who
jumped for the annual Polar Dip.
With money raised by the participants and sales from their canteen
set up outside Bridges, there was over
$2,000 raised for the IWK Children’s
Hospital in Halifax.
“We had a great turnout and I
think it was colder than last year,”
McMillan said. “We raised a bunch
of money and we had the barbeque
going all day and had a great DJ here.
Overall it was a great turnout and I’m
really happy with it.”
Although the event was so successful, McMillan said there was some
panic about hosting it before the
snow came.
“We were thinking about moving
it (Polar Dip) to March because that’s

when we have our 50th (anniversary)
week,” he said. “We figured we’d keep
it on the set date and two days before
we get the rain and snow. Luckily the
past couple days have been cold and
we got some snow we were looking
for.”
The biggest difference that he saw
as a ‘negative’ from prior years was
the lack of snow pushed up around
the pool (due to a lack of snow),
which normally allows participants,
MCs, and bystanders to be closer to
the action.
Although it was different for bystanders this year, participants were
still as into it as in previous years,
dressing up in costumes or ridiculous
clothing.
There was a Superman, Borat,
some hockey players, and a large
number of jumpers wearing florescent 70s spandex with headbands,
to name a few. Katie McCarthy, a
first-year student and resident of
Bridges House, chose to dress up in
the 70s attire.
Although she was involved for the
first time, McCarthy has wanted to
jump since hearing about the event
from her brother, a Bridges alumnus.
“I jumped because it is a great cause
and a great tradition and my brother
did it,” she said. “I really wanted to
do Polar Dip. I heard about it from
my brother and knew it would be
great fun.”

Allison Downe, also a first-year
student in Bridges, took the plunge
dressed in retro attire.
“The water was really cold, but not
as cold as I thought it was going to be,
from what I had heard from people
from Bridges,” she said. “It was a
really good turnout and I thought
we made a lot of money for a really
great charity.”
Both students paid the requested
$25 to jump in the event.
Brian Beaudette, don of Harrison
House, participated for the third time
this year. He raised $52 with another
Harrison jumper.
“I hadn’t heard much about it this
year other than through one of my
proctors who was in Bridges last year,
so I wasn’t expecting a lot of people
to be there, but the attendance was
really great,” he said. “In the past I
found it to be a lot warmer than this
year. This year was frigid.”
“This is probably something - I
mean it is an annual event and once
you get in it, it’s not something
you can say no to very easily - it’s
something you always come back to
and realize you’re getting out and
showing in the community that you
support this cause.”
Although the Polar Dip is once a
year, the house raises money throughout the year with money raised from
house dinners and all bottle recycling
funds going to the IWK.

Blurring arts boundaries
Hilary Paige Smith
News Editor

Discussing the arts. Tim Lingley / The Brunswickan

What is a rebel?
Attend the upcoming Associated
Arts Societies Colloquium and you’ll
find out.
This is the first year for the conference, taking place on Feb. 11 on campus.
The seminars will be happening in Tilley
5, running from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The theme for the conference is
rebellion, a topical throwback to the
tumultuous 2011 year.
A group of organizers, including Dr.
Jeffrey Brown from the history department and student Grant Peters, sat down
with the Brunswickan to discuss the
upcoming event.
“We pick themes broad enough so
that people from all disciplines will have
things to say abot them. It also shows
how diverse and multi-faceted the faculty is, because we have lots of different
perspectives,” Brown said.

They won’t just be looking at rebellion in the politcal sense - the topic will
encompass art, culture and psychology.
The speakers are all UNB professors
from different departments within the
arts faculty.
This is the first time for this conference, however the event has evolved
from the arts honours retreat that was
exclusively for honours students in the
faculty.
Brown said they hope to make the
event an annual thing, “an important
event on the calendar every winter.”
The professor also stressed that speakers will not be talking “at” students, it
will be more of an interactive experience.
The event will close with a banquet at
the Garrison District Ale House downtown. The conference is free, with the
exception of the banquet. The cost will
be determined at a later date.
For more information, or to register,
email jsbrown@unb.ca or the History
Society hist@unb.ca.

brunswickannews

4 • Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145

Finance minister’s remarks irk students at budget consultation
Cherise Letson
The Brunswickan
Finance Minister Blaine Higgs disappointed some concerned New Brunswick students last Tuesday at a budget consultation
that took place at the Maritime Forestry
Complex.
Students expressed their concerns about
tuition hikes, retention programs and
student employment, among other issues
during the question and answer portion
of the meeting.
Many students who went said they
were not impressed with how the minister
received their concerns. Students were also
not impressed about a remark Higgs made
about receiving an e-mail from a student,
saying that they “didn’t know how they
were going to afford the taxes of alcohol
and cigarettes along with tuition.”
Students Alexandra Cole and Sarah
Hunt, creators of the Occupy Tuition
group, said they were not impressed with
the Minister’s reaction and remarks.
“I’m quite displeased with it, because it
seemed like he brushed off every concern
that the students themselves had right
off. He didn’t really pay much mind to
it,” Cole said.
“I think he should be ashamed of himself, the way he responded. He didn’t treat
us as if we were being serious,” Hunt said.
University of New Brunswick Student

Union president Jordan Thompson’s reaction was no different.
“I was a bit disappointed with how he
handled them,” Thompson said.
“He did make a remark about cigarettes
and alcohol, which is not the situation.
Students can’t afford education. There is a
large amount of unmet need among many
students, and it’s not frivolous spending
that gets us there. It’s lack of support
from government and other sources,”
Thompson said.
Thompson said he doesn’t feel optimistic that student opinions and concerns
expressed that evening will be taken into
consideration.
“I don’t necessarily get the feeling that
it was taken seriously, or as seriously as
we would have liked, and that’s a definite
concern going into this budget process,
as Mr. Higgs is writing the budget. So I
hope our concerns do get taken seriously.
Maybe I misread, I hope I did. But I’m
not optimistic, let’s put it that way,”
Thompson said.
Higgs said the “alcohol and cigarettes”
comment did come from an actual email
he received from a student after the budget
last year and that it was the student who
made the analogy. However, he said that
it is not a stereotype he has for students,
but that he does expect that some young
people, students or not, do spend a lot of
the money they get from a loan in this way.

Blaine Higgs at an open consultation last budget period. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
“So it’s not any more of a student who
is going to university or a student goes in
right out of schooling into a job. It’s you
know, the money coming in on loans can
be attractive, and I think it’s reasonable to
expect that sometimes you can spend what
you have,” Higgs said.
Higgs wouldn’t say whether or not
tuition would be raised next year. He

did say the province does want to be
competitive in terms on tuition, as well
as in employment opportunities when
students graduate, thus keeping graduates
in the province.
“What the opportunity there is to build
a better connection between the educational program and the job opportunities
that are available and what we want to try

to strategically focus on,” Higgs said.
Higgs said the government will focus
on whether or not the incentive programs
currently offered to students work, and if
not, try to put programs in that do.
“That’s something we want to try to
correct and say ‘well let’s put programs in
that mean something’,” Higgs said.

UNBSU general election kicks off Feb. 3
Alanah Duffy
News Reporter
Nominations are opening on Friday for a
number of positions with the University
of New Brunswick Student Union for the
2012-2013 academic year.
Students interested in getting involved
with the UNBSU can pick up nomination
forms in the Welcome Centre beginning
at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. After picking up
the form, each student must gather 25
signatures of other students who feel comfortable nominating him or her.
The nomination period is open from
Feb. 3 to 10.
“There will be a mandatory candidates
meeting on the day that nominations close,
where I give them all the information that
they need about regulations and running
their campaign,” said Cassie MacKinlay,
Chief Returning Officer for the UNBSU.
Nominations will close at noon on
Friday, Feb. 10; the candidates meeting
will be held at 4 p.m. that afternoon. After
the candidates meeting, campaigning is

allowed to begin.
Students can run for a variety of positions, including the executive positions
of president, vice-president external, vicepresident internal, vice-president finance
and operations, and vice-president student
services. There is one student position available on each of the Board of Governors and
the Senate.
There are also 20 faculty councillor
positions available: three seats for the arts,
business, and engineering faculties; two
seats for the kinesiology, nursing, and science faculties; and, one seat available for the
computer science, education, forestry, law,
and Renaissance College faculties.
As well, there are nine positions available as non-faculty councillors: Aboriginal student representative, accessibility
representative, international student representative, LGBTQ student representative, off-campus student representative,
residence student representative, women’s
representative, and two students at large.
The students at large positions are new
this year. MacKinlay explained that these

positions were added in order to reach
more students.
“They’re not associated with a specific
role, as far as faculty goes. They’ll give
students another avenue of questioning or
information,” she said.
“It’s the idea that if a student goes to a
faculty rep and feels that this rep is too focused on what’s going on concerning their
faculty, the student will have someone else
who’s not focused on something.”
Another change this year is in terminology; student representatives were previously
listed as liaisons. MacKinlay explained that
liaisons didn’t have voting rights and
couldn’t bring motions to council. By
changing the name, everyone on council
will have voting rights.
After two weeks of campaigning by
candidates, voting opens on Feb. 27 and
closes on March 2. Voting is done online,
through e-services.
Last year’s voter turnout was only 7.9
per cent of the student body. The student
union has budgeted $1,000 toward advertising to try to increase student interest in

The CRO wants YOU to run in the upcoming election.
Tim Lingley / The Brunswickan
the elections.
MacKinlay said that she would love to
see an increase in the number of voters in
this general election.
“Even to me - this seems low - but even
a 10 per cent increase,” she said. “Any type
of increase without getting my expectations

too high. My goal would be a minimum
of 10 per cent, but I would love to see it
higher than that.”
To learn more about the student union and view descriptions
of the positions available, please visit
http://www.unbsu.ca/election/.

looking to inform students of what’s
e-mail: news@thebruns.ca
going on campus?

Winter Adventure Weekend
February 4-5, 2012
Are classes and midterms stressing you out?
Is winter feeling long and boring?
How about a weekend getaway to break up
the term?

Enter the UNB/STU Winter Adventure Weekend, a
once-in-a-lifetime weekend of winter fun open to all
university students aged between 18 and 26,
organized by the UNB/STU Rovers. We invite you to get
active, have fun, and explore Canada's greatest asset:
the great outdoors. Come experience the true
excitement of high adventure in a Canadian winter!

$20 per student. Space is limited! Book your spot before
Thursday, Feb 2 at 5pm by registering online.

For more information, and to register, check out: rovers.scoutsrivorton.org/adventure

brunswickannews

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 5

Erasing Blackboard at UNB

(Left to right) Nancy Fizpatrick, John Born, Sabeer Zaman, and Kevin
Cormier are members of the team responsible for helping make the
transition to the Desire2Learn software. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
Alanah Duffy
News Reporter
Mansoureh Nasserchian is one of almost
900 students testing teaching and learning
software the University of New Brunswick
will be implementing for all students this
summer.
The software, called Desire2Learn, will
replace Blackboard.
“Change is not easy. At first, it was a
big challenge to adjust to the new applications,” Nasserchian said, an adult education
student. “But after the first week, it became
very easy.”
Nasserchian is participating in the pilot
project as part of an online class called
Introduction to Distance Learning in Adult
Education, taught by Kathy Waugh.
Waugh said the content of the course
was a good fit for the introduction of
Desire2Learn.
“It added to the course in more ways
than one, which is why I took it on. I’m
teaching about distance learning and this
new platform is all about distance learn-

ing,” she said.
The university decided to switch from
Blackboard to Desire2Learn in September, after researching it and other online
learning applications. Their contract with
Blackboard (whom they had been working
with since 1996) is due to expire in August
of 2012.
Ken Reimer, director of the Centre
for Enhanced Teaching and Learning
(CETL), set up a committee comprised of
professors, students, CETL employees, and
Information Technology Services (ITS)
employees. In August, this committee
tested out different learning platforms and
ultimately decided on Desire2Learn.
Reimer said that a different version of
Blackboard was available, but the committee felt that Desire2Learn had more
applications and offered better software.
“There was a strong feeling that this is
going to be a positive change,” Reimer told
the Brunswickan. “It is a learning curve in
terms of the transition, but the end result is
going to be something better for teaching
and learning at UNB.”

After deciding to contract Desire2Learn,
UNB spent the first semester of this
academic year working to implement the
new system.
At the beginning of January, 13 instructors on the Fredericton campus and 10
instructors at UNB Saint John became part
of the pilot project. Almost 900 students
are currently using the software. It will
become the default teaching and learning
software when intersession begins in May.
Reimer said a formal survey on Desire2Learn hasn’t been conducted yet, but he’s
generally heard positive things. He added
that some things still have to be worked on,
such as mobile applications.
Nasserchian and Waugh both said that
discussions in Desire2Learn were a bit
complicated to get used to.
“It was clearer in Blackboard; we could
see who responded to whom and we didn’t
need to go through everything,” Nasserchian said, motioning toward her computer
screen. “But, I’m using both Desire2Learn
and Blackboard this semester, and when
I compare both, Blackboard seems old.”
Reimer said that the university has signed
a 10-year contract with Desire2Learn. It
costs $100,000 a year to operate. He said
that Desire2Learn costs slightly more than
Blackboard because UNB is paying extra
for Desire2Learn to host the software
instead of having UNB host it.
“The decision wasn’t about cost savings,
rather it was about getting the best system
to facilitate teaching and learning at UNB,”
Reimer said.
The yearly fee is taken from the budget
that UNB allocates for systems management each year.
“It’s not a cheap thing. It used to be
that people thought of it as an extra – but
it’s not,” Reimer said. “It’s part of our
infrastructure, and I think that if you took
it away, it would hurt the teaching and
learning for students at UNB. It’s just as
important as classrooms are.”

Rights, campus, action
Stephen Hargreaves
The Lance (University of Windsor)
WINDSOR (CUP) — University students across the country are mobilizing
in opposition to the underfunding of
post-secondary education as part of a
National Day of Action on Feb. 1.
“The National Day of Action is part
of a nation-wide campaign called Education is a Right,” said Roxanne Dubois,
national chairperson for the Canadian
Federation of Students. “The main goal
is to fight for an acceptable, well-funded
system of post-secondary education in
Canada.”
Dubois points to the underfunding of
education and rising tuition costs as major
factors in educational inequity in Canada.
“We not only need to educate people
about the importance of post-secondary
education, but also the importance of
fair access to post-secondary education.”
“Universities have been under-funded
since the 1990s,” said University of
Windsor event co-organizer Vajo Stajic,
the education and advocacy co-ordinator
for the university’s Organization of
Part-time University Students. “We
need to pressure both the provincial and
federal governments to make education
a priority. Students can no longer stand
by and let tuition fees rise and rise. Postsecondary education needs to be accessible for all.”
According to the CFS, only 34 per
cent of university and college students
are eligible for the Ontario Tuition
Rebate launched this month. Not covered by the Liberal campaign promise
grant are part-time students, mature
students, international students, students
in a second entry program, including
law, medicine and teachers college, and
students whose parent or parents make
over $160,000 annually.

“This is a lot of money to create a
program which is very complicated and
expensive to administer,” said Dubois. “It
doesn’t increase access to post-secondary
education, though it does give some
students some help, which is important.
The campaign promise was a tuition
fee reduction of 30 per cent. That is not
what this is.”
At the time the grant was announced,
Minister of Training Colleges and Universities, Glen Murray told The Lance,
“By giving a grant to students it reduces
the cost to students but does not deny
important revenue universities need to
produce a high quality education.”
When asked about the omission of
assistance for many students Murray said,
“While we celebrate today, I am rolling
up my sleeves.”
According to calculations by Dubois,
if the $450 million assigned to the
Ontario Tuition Rebate were applied
universally to all students, it would equal
a 13 per cent tuition fee reduction across
Ontario.
“Students are calling on the Ontario
government to turn their rebate into an
across-the-board tuition fee cut for all
students,” said Stajic. “The students being excluded by the rebate are those who
are most financially at risk.”
Locally, Univeristy of Windsor students will march in solidarity with
students across the country in favour of
affordable and equitable education.
The University of Windsor Senate has
granted academic amnesty to participating students, meaning students missing
classes will not face academic penalty for
being absent in order to attend the day
of action.
Other events are being organized by
students at individual schools and nationally by the CFS. For more information,
visit educationisaright.ca.

brunswickanopinion

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 6

editor@thebruns.ca

Response to “The real Battle of the Hill” In the midst of a revolution
A student’s first hand account of Nigeria’s revolution

Tomi Gbeleyi
The Brunswickan

UNB students, although it may be believed to be true, do not constantly wear sweatpants to cope with
having to walk a significant distance between classes. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
Also, law students at UNB actually
attend seminars on how to dress
professionally and most of them get
To the Point into the groove of this right off the
Christopher bat, in first year law. You won’t see
Cameron
sweatpants at Ludlow Hall.
The author of the Aquinian article
also commented on architecture on
After reading the Aquinian’s cen- the two campuses. When it comes to
trespread last week and discussing the architecture, I must agree that
with multiple UNB students, both STU has esthetically pleasing buildpast and present, it is hard not to say ings and more importantly, all buildanything.
ings are wheelchair accessible. That
The STU paper printed a two-page being said UNB is 226 years old and
spread comparing STU and UNB, has 125 years on STU. That means
the writer claiming to have a unique UNB has to improve old buildings
perspective because of his studies on to make them fully accessible.
both campuses.
Looking further at architecture, we
I happen to have experience on ran a story earlier this year by Damira
both campuses as well so I thought Davletyarova on the first person in a
it would be appropriate to respond wheelchair to graduate from UNB.
to this article.
Joanne McLeod graduated in the 60s.
The author categorized his article
At that point UNB did not accept
with “shared experiences”, comparing any students in wheelchairs. Regarddress code, architecture, Tim Hor- less, McLeod pushed the UNB Board
tons, the online experience, and park- of Directors and she was admitted to
ing problems on the two campuses.
the school. The point of her story is
I spent my first two years of uni- that people do choose schools parversity at UNB, living in MacKenzie tially based on architecture, but more
House in my first year and moved off importantly, they choose where they
campus after that.
are going because of the education
In my first year I learned that STU they will receive.
is STUpid and all the other pokes at
I’ve been in engineering and the
the cross-campus rival.
building is the most confusing on
After spending two years at UNB campus, I believe, but that did not
full-time, where the majority of stu- take away from the fact that I chose
dents in my classes DID NOT wear to come to UNB initially to study
sweatpants (contrary to what the engineering, not to look at the walls.
article said about UNB students),
Tim Hortons. The Aquinian article
I moved up the hill to St. Thomas read “Now the SUB has one,” as if it
because they offered programs that were new. Tim Hortons has been in
UNB did not.
the Student Union Building for more
In fact, I felt underdressed in than 10 years. That’s all I’m saying. It
some of my engineering and business doesn’t matter, but at least get it right.
classes by just wearing a t-shirt and
When looking at the online exjeans. Those in the business program perience between the schools, UNB
are there because they want to pursue phased out WebAdvisor in my first
a career where they most likely will year, which was five years ago.
have to dress up for work every day
U N B has not changed much
and they take it that seriously in their since, but in my time at STU they
undergraduate classes by dressing to (St. Thomas) has moved to Moodle,
the nines.
which is no Blackboard. It does do

the brunswickan

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the job though.
The only problem I’ve had with
STU moving over to Moodle is that
it was cheaper than WebCT. I don’t
think any student has noticed any
savings in their tuition, which might
be something STU students should
look into since most every student is
concerned about tuition prices.
Aside from comparing the new
with the old and what UNB has and
STU doesn’t, UNB is in the process
of creating a mobile app, which will
allow students to do everything they
can do through their e-services right
now, plus or minus a few things, on
their mobile devices.
This isn’t STU’s fault though.
UNB has more resources, which allow it to do things of this magnitude.
When it comes to the parking issue,
that it is one of the “shared experiences” between campuses, I would
argue the biggest problem is not the
number of spaces or that STU has an
advantage being close to the Aitken
Centre parking lot.
At UNB, faculty and staff have
spots close to all academic buildings,
while the number of student spots
close to academic buildings is not as
high. The argument can also be made
that NBCC is not helping the parking
situation on either campus.
This is obviously true, but NBCC
did put some funds into parking on
campus, such as paving new lots.
I think that the distribution of
spots in close proximity to academic
buildings needs to be more even between students and faculty and staff.
Instead the majority (not all) of spots
are allocated to faculty and staff.
If any UNB students have not read
it, try to take a look at the Aquinian’s
centrespread from last week and let us
know what you think.
Christopher Cameron is the Editorin-Chief of The Brunswickan and can
be reached at editor@thebruns.ca or in
SUB room 35 throughout the work week.

Prior to my recent visit back to my hometown of Lagos, Nigeria I viewed the
Occupy Movement, particularly the
movements in Canada, as a trend and poor
imitation of the Arab Springs. I honestly
had little empathy for the North Americans
joining in the protests mainly because I felt
that people of developing nations represent
the true 99 percent and are the people most
affected by capitalism and neo-liberal values.
It was difficult for me to empathize with
Canadian youths who joined the movement because as a citizen of a developing
nation, I perceive Canada as an affluent
nation. Quality and affordable healthcare,
good education, constant electricity, running water, and good roads are luxuries
for the average person in Nigeria, but are
amenities readily available to the average
Canadian. In light of this, I had little interest in the movement and did not see it as a
worthwhile or credible venture.
It took a nationwide strike and the possibility of not being able to return to school
to completely change my views on the Occupy Movement. Sweating profusely at the
Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos and
trying to make all efforts to find a new flight
to Canada after numerous flights were
cancelled, I realized just how influential the
Occupy Movement had become.
The movement that I had openly and
privately ridiculed was successfully adopted
in my country by Nigerians protesting
the sudden increase in fuel prices from 65
naira per litre to 140 naira per litre on the
first day of the New Year. I initially tried
to disassociate the fuel price hike protests
from the Occupy Wall Street Movement,
but the numerous social network images,
t-shirts and local news reports made it clear;
Nigerian protesters took their cue from
the Occupy Movement whether I cared to
admit it or not.
I was extremely proud of the solidarity
Nigerians expressed in reaction to the fuel
price hike. Typically jam-packed Lagos
streets were completely deserted in compliance with the strike and many Nigerians
took to Facebook and Twitter to express

The Occupy Wall Steet Movement had a significant influence on a
similar movement in Nigeria. lumierefl / Flickr CC

their dissatisfaction not only with the
increase in prices but also with the flagrant
corruption in the Nigerian government.
This widespread activism is an uncommon thing for Nigerians. Phrases such as
“E go better” (it will be well) are commonly
expressed by the Nigerian populace in harsh
times. The late pioneer of Afrobeat music,
Fela Kuti coined the song “Suffering and
Smiling” to describe how Nigerians tend
to hope for the best rather than revolt in
trying times.
The strikes literally shut down the nation,
as it affected international flights. Many
airlines repeatedly cancelled flights, particularly after operations of certain airlines were
disrupted by labour officials.
Being at the airport with fellow stranded
passengers demonstrated the extent to
which these protests paralysed the nation.
Some of the stranded passengers were
university students like me trying to get
back to class on time; others were workers
trying to meet up with deadlines. A man
I spoke with said he was worried he might
lose his job for returning so late after the
Christmas break.
The situation at the airport was tense
and many passengers were desperate.
When a flight did leave, the check-in lines
were horrendous as many people who had
missed previous flights all tried to get on.
Fights broke out on check-in lines and a
particular woman behind me who kept instigating fights nearly had a suitcase thrown
at her. Airline officials were completely
overwhelmed with the crowd, but did their
best to maintain order.
I was completely stressed by the situation
and almost fainted when I thought I had
lost my passport in the chaos.
Although some Nigerians are already
questioning the outcomes of the Occupy
Nigeria movements and the Boko Haram
extremist group has continued bombings in
Northern Nigeria after the strike, I realized
something important from the movements;
everyone has a right to express their displeasure with government or economic practices
they perceive to be unjust, whether they live
in a developed nation or not. Every citizen
has a right to contest for a better tomorrow.

Haley Ryan
Arts Reporter
Jessica Kelly likes making history.
You might have even noticed some of
her work last weekend at the Farmer’s
Market.
No, you say? There were no grand
paintings or controversial art pieces
hidden among the mushrooms and
fresh fish?
Perhaps not. But Kelly’s pots and
mugs will survive the march of time
better than any other art form.
“It lasts forever, you know, out of
all civilizations,” Kelly said as she
poured herself a mug of blueberry
tea in a downtown café. “It seems
very permanent and it’s very functional too.”
A few years ago, Kelly moved from
the small village of Petitcodiac to
Fredericton to attend St. Thomas
University to study English Literature. She said she enjoyed STU,
but after a year there she made the
switch to the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, and never
looked back.
Although you can explore a few
different mediums at NBCCD, Kelly
joked that she’s too scatterbrained
to focus on more than one thing at
a time, so during her program she
immersed herself in pottery classes.
She’s proud that during her final
year at college, she made enough
money from her mugs, pots and vases
to get by without a “regular” job.
That changed this year, since she’s
on her own and paying back student
loans, but Kelly says she loves selling
her work at the Farmer’s Market and
is building up some regular clients.
The intricate designs in her pottery catch the eye immediately, which
are almost tribal looking. The shapes
of her pieces are beautiful, and no
two mugs or cream pots are exactly
the same. When you look closely,
some are quite whimsical.
“I make little bubble jars that look
like, well what I describe as little
kids in fat snowsuits,” Kelly said,
laughing. “It’s a very, very round
jar and they have little arms ... my
playfulness definitely comes out in
my pottery.”
Although it can take up to three

Jessica Kelly sells her pottery at the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market Saturday mornings. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
days to completely finish a piece, from
moulding it on the potter’s wheel her
dad built for her, to firing it in a huge
kiln, Kelly has some company.
She shares a studio space with
three other potters she met in college, and says working with friends is
great because there’s always someone
to get feedback from, and you don’t

need to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings.
On an average day in the studio,
Kelly said she listens to music and
chats away because she is so used to
the routine of moulding and creating
her pieces (also called “throwing,” if
you use potter lingo), but sometimes
she does enjoy being completely

absorbed by her work and shuts
everything out.
“You can read your mood from the
mug you throw one day to the next.
Just by the way you touch it ... it’s
just like your signature,” Kelly said.
In the long term, Kelly said she
hopes to be able to support herself
with her work and maybe one day

see British Columbia; they’re known
for supporting the arts and Kelly
said “there are a lot of lovely potters
there.”
For now, keep an eye out for
Kelly’s booth at the Farmer’s Market
on Saturday mornings, and just make
sure your don’t throw anything.
That’s her job.

The curtain comes up on Bonjour, La, Bonjour
Kevin Lemieux
The Brunswickan
Theatre UNB will soon be lighting
up the stage with its newest production entitled Bonjour, La, Bonjour.
Directed by Len Falkenstein, the
show is performed by UNB’s advanced acting class. The small but
energetic cast has been working hard
for a total of six weeks to piece this
show together.
Bonjour, La, Bonjour was written by famous Québécois dramatist
Michel Tremblay in 1974. UNB
Drama will perform John Van Burek
and Bill Glassco’s English translation
of Tremblay’s classic play.
Len explained, despite having
directed 47 plays, he has always
wanted to do a Michel Tremblay play
and he really admires his work.
“I saw this play about 15 years ago
and it has always stuck in my head
since then,” he explained.
Falkenstein said the show doesn’t
necessarily have a plot.
“Tremblay says that he never really
writes his plays with a plot,” he said.
The play tells the story of Serge, a
25-year-old man who has returned
home after three months of soul-

searching in Paris. He returns to
Montreal and plans to get away from
his four needy sisters and two aunts
who take care of his father. He hopes
to get in contact with his emotionally
distant father.
Serge is played by second-year student Alex Donovan. Donovan says
that Serge is the quiet, listener type.
“He spends most of his time listening, which would be his biggest
feature. All of his family are just talking to him. This doesn’t necessarily
mean he likes it.”
Donovan said he’s happy to be the
lead in this production.
“It’s pretty cool to see your face
everywhere on campus. But this show
is more of an ensemble piece, giving
each character a time to shine”.
All of the scenes take place on
stage, at the same time. Serge can
be having a conversation with one
person at one time then seconds
later, he is talking to someone else
in a new location and time.
The set is expanded off of the
main stage at Memorial Hall. The
audience will be sitting a little bit
everywhere, giving the show an upclose and personal vibe.
The energy that this cast puts into

Alex Donovan (right) plays the lead character of Serge in Bonjour, La, Bonjour.
Tim Lingley / The Brunswickan
their show will blow you away. This
show has something for everyone
to enjoy.
When asked what the show meant
to him, Falkenstein said the show
had many universal themes.
“It’s about a need for love and

connection. It’s also about failure to
communicate, as Serge is trying to
connect with his father who hasn’t
really been there for him in his life
and who is now nearing death. It’s a
profoundly beautiful play with very
real characters”.

Bonjour, La, Bonjour will begin
it’s run at Memorial Hall on Feb.1
and ends on Feb. 4. The show runs
nightly at 8 p.m.
Tickets are regularly priced at $10
and $6 for students and are available
at the door.

brunswickanarts

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 9

Cheap Freddy:
Dates on a budget

Alex Kress
Arts Editor
If you’re anything like me, you’re not a big
fan of the winter. I much prefer the more
temperate seasons when I can smell flowers,
and grass, and soil. I long for a balmy breeze
instead of a bitter wind, and for consistent
weather for which I don’t have to dress like
a six-year-old bundled up for recess in order
to feel comfortable outdoors. I tend to fall
victim to a bit of winter depression, and all I
want to do is stay in my apartment (which is
often also freezing), drink and eat to excess,
and curse, well... everything.
It’s not healthy, it doesn’t make me pleasant to be around, and it can be avoided by
some creative winter diversion.
The other issue I have though, is that it’s
second semester and money’s tight. I’m sure
I’m not alone there. So, here’s a list of thrifty
date ideas for winter in a quaint city lacking
an abundance of things to do (which, to
be honest, is likely for the better because
it means I’m not out several times a week
throwing my dwindling student funds all
around town).
And, to be clear, when I say “date ideas”
I don’t mean to exclude singles; to me, dates
are for everyone – couples, friends or just for
you, if you like.
1. Kingswood Bowling
$3.99/one rounds $7.98/two rounds
$11.98/three rounds $1.99/shoes
Moosehead Beer $4.75/glass $15/pitcher
It’s classic, often forgotten, and not
just for your 10th birthday party. Bowling is fantastic because unless you’re a
knob who takes it really seriously, it’s a
great way to poke fun at yourself and
others. It’s also a good opportunity to
get competitive with your date(s) and
therefore look ridiculous doing so in
hideous multi-coloured bowling shoes
that have been worn by a million other
people. If you’re concerned about your
level of sexiness skyrocketing on a Friday
night, this is not the place for you.
2. Brunch at The Palate
All dishes range between $8 and $9/plate
I go to The Palate every Saturday morning for brunch with my boyfriend; it’s our
favourite spot by far, and we always order
the same thing. I think the servers think
we’re wieners (usually the same three work
the brunch shift each weekend) and are
just humouring us by bringing us menus
and asking what we’d like, because we
never venture from our staple orders: he
gets the Omelette with Chorizo sausage,
tomatoes and spinach ($8) and I get the
amazing Smoked Salmon Benedict ($9)
on a toasted baguette with capered cream
cheese (it makes the benny). Both dishes
aren’t overwhelming in size, and are served
with a sweet potato hash and a good helping of fresh fruit. The Omelette comes with
homemade toasted bread and homemade
strawberry jam.

“Oh... you’re writing about sluts!”

3. Cheap Night at Empire Theatres
All movies are $5.99 on Tuesdays
Cheap Night in Fredericton has been
quite successful in driving in business early
in the week after the regular weekend crowd
gets back into the grind of the work week.
It’s a great incentive to go and see a movie
on a Tuesday because it’s essentially half
the price of any other day, and for a couple
of hours you’re tricked into believing it’s
the weekend. This is ideal for any kind of
date: the solo; the first, second or 43rd with
your significant other; or a group outing.
It breaks up the week nicely and it’s an
excuse to eat a small poutine (at a modest
710 calories) or some TCBY frozen yogurt
(perhaps the lighter fare of the two at about
200 calories). It’s an especially nice choice
for those of us who work weekends consistently. Don’t focus on the cheap bastard
stereotype – concentrate on the spontaneity
factor. Even if you’ve planned to go to the
Tuesday night movie for two weeks, you
can still pretend you’re an unpredictable
badass for seeing a late movie on a Tuesday.
4. Cinema Politica Documentary
Screenings
Documentary screenings are FREE,
although donations are encouraged
Cinema Politica screenings are a Fredericton staple for anyone who doesn’t want
to get loaded before 7 p.m. on Friday nights
– or, at least they want to try to engage
themselves in a film about topical, pressing
social/political/environmental issues before
getting silly for the evening. It’s a great way
to spend a couple of hours before heading
out on the town for some uninhibited fun;
the docs are always well chosen and make
you think critically about major causes
being advocated, and they often tell stories
from the perspective of underrepresented,
marginalized people. The films are shown
at Conserver House at 180 St. John St., and
while they do have a nice projection screen,
the seating is limited and it isn’t tiered, so
make sure to arrive a little bit early. If you’re
feeling inspired or outraged or just chatty in
general, stick around for a group discussion
about the film after it’s over.
5. Student Nights at The Capital
Admission is FREE for students with valid
I.D. on Wednesdays and Thursdays;
FREE cover for everyone before 11 p.m. on
Fridays and Saturdays
The Capital only recently started this
awesome promotion, likely because the
spot wasn’t getting hot until after midnight and they wanted to draw an earlier,
more loyal crowd. It’s a brilliant idea,
especially if you happen to show up for
a casual drink and there’s a band playing
that you’re not too interested in paying
cover for. That’s not to say we shouldn’t
be supporting local live music as much as
we can, but The Capital is sympathetic to
students with limited or no funds to be
dropping $5 or more just to get in, on top
of having a couple of jolly beer.

In class, and again in the textbook, the
study – in my opinion – failed to properly
account for the social stigma that would
accompany a woman who went home with
a random person, which is probably the
more compelling factor in these females’
decisions.
Examples of our cultural discrimination
against sexually liberated women can be
found in countless instances in the media.
For example, in the television sitcom “How
I Met Your Mother,” Barney Stinson shows
his “bro”-ness by sleeping with more than
200 women, most of whom are misled into
thinking it’s the beginning of a committed
relationship.

partners are seen as admirable and manly.
If you ask someone about a man’s
morals, you’re likely to hear about his
honesty or reliability; if you inquire into
Imagine you’re in the SUB, and a moda woman’s morals, you’re most likely to
erately attractive individual of the opposite
hear about who she sleeps with and under
sex approaches you. They tell you they’ve
what circumstances. I am far from being
noticed you around, think you’re cute, and
the first to notice this, but the particular
ask if you would like to perhaps go home
concern for me lies in the fact that everyone
with them.
acknowledges this inequality as a reality,
This is the scenario – a variation of a real
not an issue.
experiment portrayed in my introductory
As one guy relayed it to me, “If a key
psychology class. Here comes the punch line:
opens many locks, it’s a good key. If a lock
“In the real experiment, zero per cent of
opens for many keys, it’s a terrible lock.” We
women said yes,” my professor explained.
live in the 21st century; why is sex still being
The class chuckled.
seen as something that must be taken from
“75 per cent of men said yes.”
female by the male, rather
The class howled.
As one guy relayed it to me, ‘If a key opens the
than an experience shared by
The example is supposed to
illustrate “parental investment many locks, it’s a good key. If a lock opens for two individuals? This patriarchal
viewpoint of male domination
theory,” the evolutionary psychmany keys, it’s a terrible lock.’
and female subordination conology concept that the parent who
The sexually aggressive females – such as
strains men and women alike in so many
makes the smaller investment – in terms of
time and physical effort – is likely to seek guest star Mandy Moore in “How I Met areas, including and beyond sexuality and
Your Mother” and Judy Greer in “The Big sexual roles.
out more casual partners.
Lest this be a rant against the oppression
The conclusion being drawn here is that Bang Theory” – are portrayed as being
of males, complete with bra-burning and
men tend to seek out multiple partners who batshit crazy.
In “Friends,” the falsely described shaving boycotts; I’d like to point out that
are more youthful and attractive, since
their required investment is smaller, while ‘female-empowerment’ book the girls read this viewpoint is held widely by girls and
women will seek out more committed condemns Monica for sleeping with ‘Paul, guys alike. When I told my (female) friend I
partners with good social and financial the Wine Guy’ on the first date, but no such was writing an article about the stigmatizastanding – the better to care for her and judgement is reserved for Joey Tribbiani and tion of sexually active females she nodded
his philandering ways.
and said, “Oh, you’re writing about sluts!”
her offspring.
But perhaps far more common and disI don’t have a solution, and I don’t seek
I laughed along with the rest of the class,
but there was something that bothered me turbing are the real-life examples. Sexually to offer one, but I strongly believe that by
... and it was more than just my friend who active or aggressive females are portrayed being aware of these sorts of underlying
nudged me and whispered, “Zero percent? as being indiscriminate, without standard, social values, we can seek to change them
or without class, whereas males with many – for men, for women, and for the better.
They clearly didn’t ask you.”

Lee Thomas
The Brunswickan

“

”

brunswickanarts

10 • Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145

Confessions of a Big Foot
Yeti McLongToes
The Brunswickan
The setting sun cast shadows through
the courtyard as we walked back from the
cafeteria. It was warm when you stepped
into pools of light, but cool enough that
fall day to wear boots.
My friend Alorah and I were chatting
about classes as we neared our residence,
when we passed a couple of young men.
One was perhaps more notable than
the other.
He had long, shaggy hair, deep brown
eyes and a tanned, beautiful face I wanted
to stare at forever. I wiggled my eyebrows
and grinned at Alorah as I passed within
a few feet of this perfect man.
I was reminding myself to breathe normally again, when I heard someone shout
for us to “hang on a second.”
My stomach jumped up into my ribcage
as I turned slowly and saw that the guys
had stopped behind us, and Mr. Perfect’s
bearded friend was coming to talk to me.
“Hi, I’m sorry if this is kind of weird,”
he said, scratching the dark fur on his jaw,
“but my friend wanted to ask you something and he’s really shy.”
He gestured to Mr. Perfect awkwardly,
scuffing his foot on the ground a few
meters away.
Oh. My. God.
A million hypothetical questions went
through my head in two seconds.
Does he want my number? Does he
want to marry me? Maybe he wants to
plan how we’ll run into each others’ arms
in slow-motion, his friend throwing rose
petals?
Not quite.
“So, my friend is going as Link from
the Zelda video games for Halloween,
and your boots are perfect! He wanted
to know where you bought them,” Mr.
Beard beamed.

I looked down at my brown leather
riding boots with the silver buckles on
each ankle. Goddamn my apparent subconscious love for elven footwear.
Blushing, I stammered out that I had
bought them at a store in Nova Scotia,
and didn’t think there were any outlets
in Fredericton.
Mr. Beard frowned, but nodded and
thanked me anyway. He started to walk
back towards the man of my dreams,
who was awash with the last golden rays
of the day.
I was taken by a sudden urge to get their
attention once more.
“Wait!” I shouted at the bearded friend,

who turned to look at me. To this day I
don’t know if Mr. Perfect heard me too,
although I’m sure Mr. Beard told him.
“I have really big feet!”
He raised a bushy eyebrow, nodded ...
and continued walking away.
I stood there for a minute in horror,
trying to grasp what had just happened.
Alorah came up beside me and I stared at
her with wild eyes.
“I meant to tell him I have a big shoe
size, so his hot friend could just borrow
my boots,” I said with a note of hysteria.
“That was really weird, wasn’t it?”
Alorah looked at me sympathetically,
but the corner of her mouth twitched.

“I have really big feet!” Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

brunswickanarts

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 11

Where are all the queers?
capita who have never read a book
on gay history, who think that the
epitome of gay culture is Ellen
DeGeneres or “Will & Grace.” In
fact, “Will & Grace” depicts the
perfect analogy to describe gay life
in Fredericton. The show stars a gay
man named Will who, for almost
the entire series, never dates, kisses
or has sex with another gay man
(okay, maybe one or two dates – but
no sex).
Instead, his primary relationship is
with a heterosexual woman, Grace.
For her part, Grace has little more
than a short, disastrously failed marriage with a straight man. Grace’s
predominant relationship is with
Will, her gay boyfriend. In Fredericton, a heterosexual woman who has

bunch.
On the other hand, Fredericton
also has one of the largest populaAn article by Lucie Lawless in The
tions of artists per capita. I’ve heard
Brunswickan published Nov. 23,
from many artists in town, “What’s
2011 asked the one question about
wrong with the gay community
the gay community in Fredericton
here?”
that everyone asks: “Where are all
Artists from elsewhere connect gay
the Gays?”
people with a diverse, creative, visible
Here are some choice quotes.
queer culture. They don’t underOn gay-friend ly Fredericton:
stand why gay people in Fredericton
“Fredericton may arguably be the
are so closeted, straight-acting, and
most gay-friendly city in New Brunsso afraid to be different. For their
wick, but that’s like telling your
part, closeted gays in Fredericton
parents that you failed the least in
have rejected the notion that they
your class.”
are different and have abandoned
On Boom Nightclub as the only
any connection with a gay culture
place in town where you can find
that really makes them different.
gay people: “Once you get through
But there is one more point to make.
the glitter and the ecstasy high of
Don’t confuse being “out” with bethe average Boom-goer,
ing “queer.” Plenty of gay
there tends not to be a
Why is it so critical for the gay commun- people in Fredericton are
lot there.”
but the lifestyle and
ity to have a gay culture? Because without “out,”
On the lack of gay visipersonal demeanour they
bility in Fredericton: “Where a distinct gay culture, there is virtually no espouse looks in every detail
are the drag queens for Chris- difference between gay and straight
exactly like their straight
sakes?”
counterparts. You simply
people that is worth talking about.
On Fredericton Pride: “We
can’t tell them apart.
as a community should take
Why not? Because there’s
time to be proud more than one day a gay boyfriend is called a ‘bisexual.’ a difference between being ‘out’ and
or week a year.” All of these are valid Those are the kind of ‘gay’ relation- being ‘queer.’ The real question to
points that have been made by just ships you are likely to find here.
ask is “Where are all the Queers?”
about every gay person who has come
Gay marriage is legal here in New Queer is that visible gay essence
from elsewhere to live here. It’s been Brunswick, as it is everywhere else that you are looking for on the
much publicized that Fredericton in Canada; he’s gay, she’s a lesbian, street when you are looking for ‘gay’
ranks at the top for cities in North and they’re married to each other; people. Drag queens are queer, dykes
America with the highest number of oh, and they have two kids. Being who dress in leather and piercings are
gay people per capita. (There’s even a excessively closeted, there is no vis- queer, gay men who are flamingly
beer marketed to the gay community ible gay culture in Fredericton. Why femme or brashly bearish are queer.
in Fredericton called Per Capita.)
is it so critical for the gay communThey’re not interested in fitting
Correction: Fredericton has the ity to have a gay culture? Because into the heterosexual norm that prehighest number of CLOSETED gay without a distinct gay culture, there vails in this town. In fact, they quite
people per capita in North America. is virtually no difference between enjoy being flamboyantly, flagrantly
Yes, there are lots of gay people here, gay and straight people that is worth queer, talking, walking, and acting
but there is no gay culture and no gay talking about.
queer. They know their queer history
visibility on the streets of our quaint
That’s why when you walk down and culture, and quite frequently,
town. The only place where you can King and Queen Streets in Frederic- they are the creators and promoters
find anything that laughably passes ton, you don’t see any gay people of queer culture. It’s the queer eleas ‘gay life’ is at the one ‘alternative —because they look and act just ment that’s missing from Fredericton
lifestyles’ bar. Purple Night anyone? like heterosexuals. And the straights which makes one beg the question,
Fredericton probably also has the that run this town are generally a “Where are all the Gays?”
highest number of gay people per particularly prudish and uptight
Shaun Bartone
The Brunswickan

“

”

Tune In. Turn On. Get Off:
Sex technology
The New
Position
Sarah
Vannier
Last week, the Internet was abuzz with
talk about the latest innovation in the
sex-meets-tech market, the iPad compatible Fleshlight.
In case you aren’t already familiar
with this bestselling sex toy, the Fleshlight is a male masturbator (aka: thing
you can put your penis into) that comes
in a case and resembles an oversized
flashlight.
Although the makers of the Fleshlight
already offer all sorts of customization
options to meet your masturbating
needs, they have stepped up their game
with the release of plans for a Fleshlight
you can attach to your iPad.
That’s right, gentlemen! Soon you’ll be
able to strap your Fleshlight to the underside of your iPad, download a few sexy
pictures or videos to play on the screen,
and thrust away to your heart’s content!
This latest addition to the sex-meetstech market is just one of the many
ways technology is working its way into
our pants.
Have you ever heard the term “teledildonics”? It’s an absolutely awful word,
but a pretty cool concept. The idea
behind teledildonics (also known as
cyberdildonics) is that you use a sex
toy that is connected to a computer,
and controlled by either a computer
program, or another person, over the
Internet.
One of the leaders in the field of
teledildonics is an American company
called RealTouch. They have developed
a male masturbator similar to the Fleshlight but with a few bonus features. The
RealTouch device has moving parts
on the inside (that get warm and selflubricate) so you don’t actually have to
do any of the work yourself.

And, to make it even more impressive,
it can be hooked up to your computer via
USB and synchronized with porn videos
available on the RealTouch website.
This means that all of the movement
happening inside the device matches
what is happening on the screen. The
company promises that “you feel as if
you are a part of the movie instead of
just watching it.”
Now, I can hear all of you ladies
asking “What about me?” Well, can I
interest you in a vibrator that picks up
the beat of your favourite music?
The OhMiBod series is a line of
vibrators that vibrate based on sound.
The company offers a wide range of
different styles, some of which are small
enough, and discrete enough, to wear
out in public. I don’t know about you
guys, but next time I see a girl on the
dance floor at iRock looking like she is
having a little too much fun, I’m going
to be suspicious.
But, if music isn’t really your thing,
you can download the OhMiBod app
that lets you (or some lucky person)
control the speed and intensity of the vibrations using an iPhone. And, on top of
that, you can save your favourite patterns
to use again and again. Seriously … what
can’t you do with an iPhone!!? (Side
note: This might explain why Blackberry
users always look so serious …)
And last but not least, these developers aren’t just trying to corner the sex
market, they’re also desperately trying
(with mixed results) to figure out how
to put the love back into sex technology.
Some concepts that are under development include a remotely controlled
t-shirt that hugs the wearer, a phone that
can transmit the movements of a kiss,
and a light you hang above your bed
that simulates a long-distance partner’s
touch. Unfortunately, none of these
products have made it to the market yet.
As the Telus slogan goes, “The Future
is Friendly.” Now if you’ll excuse me, I
have to go recharge my iPhone.

brunswickansports

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 12

sports@thebruns.ca

Reds make it back to top of AUS on “Pink in the Rink” weekend

K. Bryannah James
Sports Editor
This past Friday, the Varsity Reds men’s
hockey team had “Pink in the Rink,” a
night where they helped raise money and
awareness for breast cancer research.
The night started off with two cancer
survivors opening the evening with the
ceremonial puck drop. The Reds, all of
whom had on pink socks and laces and
some of whom had pink tape on their
sticks, took to the ice against the Acadia
Axemen.
After two back-to-back losses last weekend against UPEI and UdeM, the Varsity
Reds were ready for a win in their home
games.
“It was just a quiet confidence in the
room,” said UNB captain Kyle Bailey in
reference to the team’s pre-game mentality
before their start against Acadia.
UNB goalie Travis Fullerton returned
to goal - after being out with a knee injury
- with a vengeance. The fourth-year keeper
was one of, if not the, star of the evening as
he helped the Reds secure their 7-1 victory
over the Axemen.
“The guys played unbelievably, it was
almost a perfect game,” Fullerton said. “I
feel 100 per cent when I’m playing.”
The first five of the goals were found in
the first period, the first going to UNB’s
Dane Todd at 2:16, with assists from Tyler
Carroll and Geordie Wudrick.
The Reds continued to push the Axemen, and at 19:59 Antoine Houde-Caron
scored the second goal of the night, finding
the back of the net with help from Chris
Culligan and Matt Fillier.
Carroll scored the third on the power
play. Acadia pushed back at 11:45 to score

Varsity Red Shayne Wiebe tries to get the puck past Acadia’s goalie Evan Mosher during Friday night action at the Aitken Centre.
Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
its first and only goal of the evening, with
Andrew Clark putting one past Fullerton.
“I just try to stay in there and keep the
goals against down, and I mean the guys
did unbelievable tonight,” Fullerton said.
Acadia’s goal was short-lived as V-Red
Bailey came back to shovel another puck

V-Red Prospects Dylan, Nathan, Blake and JD show their support
Saturday night at the game. Sandy Chase/ The Brunswickan

the panel
voice your opinion

in Acadia’s net at 12:12. The would finish
the first period with a 4-1 lead over the
Axemen.
“I was hollering at him to let him know
I was there [Nesbitt] and he gives me a
saucer pass,” Bailey said. “So I’m going,
holy smokes. All I’m thinking about is trying to coral it. It kind of handcuffed me a
little bit, and then I just threw it at the net
and got lucky.”
Although the game has a higher ratio of
goals on the UNB side, it was a battle all
the way to the end. Both teams fought for
the win, but it was clear to see on ice that
UNB was dominating the play.
The second period didn’t see any goal
for either team, but the third saw the final
three goals UNB would take away from
the evening.
Nesbitt claimed the fifth goal for the
Reds with assists from MacNeil and Culligan. With a pass from Shayne Wiebe,
Culligan would also help assist Bailey on
his second goal of the night at 11:07 on the
power play, giving the Reds a 6-1 cushion
against Acadia.
“It was good just to see everyone play

well, play as a team, and do the little things
right,” Culligan said.
“As a team we just played smarter, played
better, played harder.”
The final goal of the night went to Wudrick, to close the game with a 7-1 victory.
“It was just good to get a win, especially
my first game back,” Fullerton said.
The evening didn’t end when the third
period buzzer rang-out; it ended after Jonathan Harty – after a year of growing out his
hair - sat at centre ice and had two crowdwinners shave his head for breast cancer.
“Growing up I’ve been relatively unaffected by cancer, and just the past couple
of years, friends, family, you know have
been hammered on by this terrible disease,”
Harty said. “And it just felt like something
I could do in my position to help raise
what I can.”
The next night saw a sold-out crowd
with “School Day,” with more than 3000
people in the stands to watch the Reds take
on the Dalhousie Tigers.
The Varsity Red Prospects, yelled and
cheered on their favourite V-Reds during
the game, excited to “Meet the Reds,”

SEE HOCKEY PAGE 14

Do you think the UNB women’s volleyball
team will be able to get a win during their
home game this weekend against UdeM?

K. Bryannah James

Christopher Cameron

Josh Fleck

I would like to think the home-court
advantage will help the women’s volleyball team this weekend, and for
their sake I hope it digs them out of
the slump they’ve been in. However,
that being said, I think they’ll see a
struggle in the first two sets and push
UdeM to a fifth set to win. I don’t see
this being a three set win .

Four set win. Good ol’ JR is sick of losing and this week I think he will work
on what his team dropped the ball on
last weekend. We will see another
win out of this young squad this weekend. They may as well pick up some
wins and get some positives out of
the end of the season. Unfortunately
if you finish last in the AUS you don’t
get first pick in a draft.

I think the girls will come away with
their first win at home this season on
the weekend. Paige Paulsen is facing
her former team, the Universite de
Moncton Aigles Bleues, who are 1-5
on the road this season. Coach Richard will have the ladies fired-up for
this special weekend. Hopefully there
is a packed Currie Center for them.

Sports Editor

after the game.
The game against Dal started off as
quickly and as fiercely as the previous night’s
game against Acadia, but saw a closer match
than the 7-1 victory.
Wiebe, at 4:50 with assists from Carroll
and Culligan, gave the Reds a 1-0 lead, and
the first goal of the night.
“Wiebe is a great addition. I’m not the
fastest guy but I can get going when I get
up there. So it’s nice to play with two fast
guys and we seem to find each other pretty
good and it’s working out so far,” Carroll
said, in reference to his linemates.
The second goal was by the Tigers, who
clawed their way past Fullerton at 17:13 in
the second, as David MacDonald scored
Dal’s first goal of the evening to even the
score.
The Reds came back in the third period
as Carroll buried one in the back of the
Tigers net, with an assist from Harty and
Culligan.
Dalhousie’s Brendon MacDonald

EIC

Sports Writer

Heather Uhl
Sports Writer

If the girls can get their game together, and keep it together, they stand
a shot. The girls have been putting
forth a good effort against teams
high in the AUS standings and have
the ability to beat Moncton at least.
Or they might crumble under pressure.

brunswickansports

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 13

Dion Campbell: “I couldn’t not stay.”

Show y
o ur UN
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Faculty
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an d sa

Prices in ve 5% mo
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until Fe
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Louisiana
or
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Dion Campbell has learned a lot about hockey and life in his time spent with the Varsity Reds, but has
learned even more from the New Brunswick Special Olympic team he began coaching last semester.
Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
K. Bryannah James
Sports Editor
He’s leaning against a wall in the gym
he and his teammates train in at the
Aitken Centre. His arms are crossed
over his chest, with an easy-going air,
as he takes a break from working-out
to talk about a team that means a lot
to him.
A team that he’s come to love and
respect, evident in the smile that
breaks -not even a half-second- across
his face when asked about the team.
“Everything is so fun to them,
they enjoy it so much, they just have
a passion for hockey.”
If you hear the name Dion Campbell, at UNB you think of CIS championship hockey player or Varsity
Red. If you’re a member of the New
Brunswick Special Olympics floor
hockey team, words such as coach,
hockey player, Varsity Red and most
importantly, friend come to mind.
“I guess the best thing I enjoy is
probably how it makes me feel when
I see their faces light-up every day,”
said Campbell.
Campbell, a first-line forward for
the Varsity Reds and graduating
player, began volunteering with the
floor hockey team as part of a school
assignment.
“I got involved because [of] the
disability awareness course through
UNB,” said Campbell, “We had to
do a certain amount of hours for
community service to get involved.”
After looking through a list of
different community with which to
get involved, this floor hockey team
stood-out for Campbell. As he says,
it’s something he knew he could
help with.
After completing his course requirements, Campbell decided to
stay on with the team and continue
his involvement as an assistant coach.
“I couldn’t not stay.”
One of the most notable things
about this floor hockey team is the
camaraderie of each player and genu-

ine happiness and pleasure they take
from playing floor hockey.
“When their teammates score it’s
like they score. They’re so supportive
of each other,” said Campbell.
“There’s no jealousy, there’s no
hate in their hearts, it’s just pure
enjoyment and love. It’s just amazing to see and it’s something I think
everyone should get to see.”
Every Monday from 6:30-8:30 at
Carleton Church, Campbell, along
with other coaches, helps the team
improve their skill-set during practice with various hockey drills which
range from passing to face-offs.
Campbell also brings his knowledge and drills from his practices as
a V-Red to the court as well.
One memory, which stands out
for Campbell during his time as an
assistant coach, was recently, as a team
underdog shown on the court.
“There’s one guy, his name’s Keith,
he’s about 50 years old and you know,
Keith he’s, I don’t want to say [one of
the] weaker ones but he’s one of the
guys who struggles to get offense going,” said Campbell, “And he got a
goal the other night, just in practice.
Geez, he was the happiest guy I’ve
ever seen. It’s like he just won a big
award or something.
“He was jumping up and down and
he came running up to me, gave me a
big hug. I was so happy, that was just
probably one of the best things I’ve
ever seen in someone.”
However, Campbell’s relationship
with the f loor hockey team goes
beyond the court. He’s developed a
friendship with his team, and makes
an effort to visit them.
“A few of them work at Wal-Mart,
another couple of them work at
Superstore. So when I’m there I’ll
make sure I go track them down and
say hello and bug them a bit and see
how they’re doing in their day.”
Campbell also says he plans on getting together with the floor hockey
team outside of practice and drills,
and will continue his on-going in-

volvement with the team.
“They bring the best out of you.
You get to see a different side of
things, that’s for sure. And it opens
your eyes in a lot of ways.”
“It’s such a good feeling.”
The team, just before Campbell’s
involvement, won a provincial tournament, which secured them a spot
at the Special Olympics Nationals in
Edmonton, Alberta in February.
“We’re just practicing to get them
ready,” said Campbell.
In a bitter-sweet turn of events.
Campbell will be unable to travel
with the team to Edmonton because
he’ll be training and competing with
the Varsity Reds in hopes of securing another AUS championship, and
hopefully keeping their CIS championship title.
Although he will be unable to accompany them, he’s encouraged the
team to take from the tournament
everything they can and to enjoy their
time away.
“I just tell them to enjoy every
moment of it and have so much fun
in every part of it. Not just the game
[but] your experience out west, your
experience at the hotels, and the
banquets,” said Campbell.
There’s also a dance during nationals of which, according to Campbell,
many of the athletes are excited to
par-take in.
“I tell them, enjoy every moment
and bring back the gold.”
There will be roughly nine teams
competing at Nationals, New Brunswick’s team being the sole Atlantic
province representative.
One of the things Campbell hopes
to do in preparation for the team’s
competition in Edmonton, is to bring
some of his Varsity Red teammates
out to play a game against them.
“[They] just have a passion for life
that’s so contagious and every time
I leave there I take it away with me.
I just bring it out with me and I just
love it. It’s just an unbelievably passion they have.”

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14 • Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145

brunswickansports

Varsity Reds clip Sea-Hawks’ wings
Heather Uhl
Staff Writer

The Varsity Reds men’s volleyball team beat the MUN Sea-Hawks in
both games this past weekend. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Dr. T. Wayne Lenehan
Dr. M. Michele Leger

F P

L P E D

2
3
4

E D F C Z P

6

T O Z

P E C F D 5
F E L O P Z D
D E F P O T E C
L E F O D P C T

7
8
9

The Varsity Reds men’s volleyball
team defeated the Memorial Seahawks in both home games last
weekend.
The first match on Saturday saw
the V-Reds take a 3-0 (25-12, 2515, 25-20) win over the Sea-Hawks.
“We’re happy with a 3-0 win,”
coach Dan McMorran said following
Saturday’s match. “We played very
well in the first two sets. I thought
our execution was great today.”
The first two sets saw the Reds
hit the ground running, outplaying
the Sea-Hawks both offensively and
defensively. Julio Fernandez brought
home 11 kills for the team while
player of the match Jonathan Tower
delivered eight kills.
The third set nearly had a change
in the tide in MUN’s favour though,
with the Seahawks going point-forpoint with the Varsity Reds.
Fortunately UNB’s defence prevented MUN from taking the set,
but it could have easily become a
four-set match.
“We had a bit of a stumbling block

in the third set; I think we got a little
too complacent,” McMorran said. “I
think we got a little too comfortable
with a 2-0 lead against Memorial
and consequently we were not executing like we were in the first two
sets. Guys were trying to take bigger
risks in the third set that just didn’t
pan out.”
On Sunday, the Varsity Reds had
a similar game against MUN, with
two strong first sets and a very close
third. In the end, the men won 3-0
again (25-19, 25-15, 25-23). Marc
‘Wonderboy’ White was UNB’s
player of the match.
The first set saw the Varsity Reds
score some nice kills while keeping
up their defence. MUN rose to the
challenge with vigor and played better than their previous match.
As the set went on, UNB began
to outcompete the Sea-Hawks. The
Sea-Hawks attempted comeback but
it wasn’t enough to win the set.
The second set had the Varsity
Reds in their groove and MUN
scrambling to keep up.
The last set of the match was
almost a repeat of the previous day.
The V-Reds were too comfort-

able with their solid lead over the
Seahawks and this led to a game of
ping-pong, as the teams went pointfor-point.
The trend of complacency was
noted by McMorran.
“It’s hard not to slip into that
complacency when you’re playing
against a team you kind of should be
doing well against - and we did a bit
in the third set, but we were lucky
we came out with it.”
The Varsity Reds’ next matches
before the Atlantic championships is
in two weeks time. The V-Reds will
play the Dalhousie Tigers in Halifax.
McMorran hopes to cement UNB
for first place in the conference and
as host for the championships.
“We’re trying to host the Atlantic
championships,” McMorran said.
“We had to win both [matches]
this weekend and if we split in two
weeks’ time against Dalhousie in the
last two regular season games we’ll
secure first place, but we don’t want
to be looking for splits. We want to
do what we did last year.”
“R ight now, we got to f lick a
switch in our minds and go into
playoff mode right now.”

Coach Richard trying to pump-up the team during their games this weekend.
Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan
Heather Uhl
Staff Writer
The Varsity Reds women’s volleyball team
was unable to shake its losing streak last
weekend, losing 3-1 to the CBU Capers
and 3-1 to the StFX X-Women last weekend.
Saturday’s game was a 3-1 (25-21, 2125, 22-25, 21-25) loss to the Capers. The
V-Reds won the first set of the match after a
slow start, eventually going point-for-point
with the Capers later on in the set.
Celina Abba gave the Varsity Reds
reasonable defence while Emma Hunt
delivered the kills.
“Well, I thought it was one of out better
efforts of the year,” coach John Richard
said. “That’s (the Capers) probably the third
best team in our league, so I thought we
had a chance to win all four sets. It’s just a
few mistakes you make late and not being
disciplined enough defensively and a girl
getting caught in a position we’re just not
good enough to fight through.”
“But overall I was proud of our team. If

we keep on battling like that, we’re going to
get a win one of these times. We just need
a break and we’re not getting it.”
The following three sets had the Capers
finding their own groove and working hard
against the Reds. Though UNB managed
a comeback in the second set, it wasn’t
enough to win it.
The last two sets had the V-Reds going
point-for-point with the Capers, but they
were unable to pull ahead. Capers took
the match.
While coach Richard was proud of
his team’s performance on Saturday, the
women’s performance on Sunday was a
different case all together.
StFX won 3-1 (25-21, 27-25, 18-25,
25-15).
StFX took the first set by charging
straight out of the gate and leaving UNB to
fight back. The teams went point-for-point
before the X-Women pulled ahead. In the
second set the V-Reds were clearly in the
lead before stumbling, allowing StFX to
come from behind and close the gap to
win the set.

“I mean we were winning 23-18, 2421 in the second set,” coach Richard said.
“You have control of the match and, you
know if you win that second set, I think
we had all the momentum and I think we
could’ve gotten out of here with a victory.
Once we’ve blown that 24-21 lead, we just
weren’t as aggressive as we were earlier in
the match.”
“Credit to our girls for winning the
third one; after we collapsed in that second
one I didn’t know if there was much of a
match left.”
Despite winning the third set, the girls
completely fell apart by the fourth. The
Reds could not get past playing catch-up
to the X-Women.
Regardless of the outcome, the game
saw several impressively long rallies between
the two teams that had the audience applauding regardless of who won the point.
UNB’s next game will be during the
Think Pink Week, where the women host
Moncton at the Currie Center on the Feb.
4. The game starts at 7 p.m.

Reds win back-to-back on weekend
FROM HOCKEY PAGE 12
would come back at 2:54 to tie the game
2-2, which pushed game into overtime.
However, the Tigers hopes of an overtime win was in vain, as Carroll scored
UNB’s third and final goal, winning 3-2.
“I just threw it on net. I could tell you a
big story, where I was going to bank it off
but I just threw it at the net,” Carroll said.

However, like Friday night’s game, the
evening didn’t end on ice. Instead, it ended
in the locker-room as more than 20 Varsity
Red Prospects and fans were introduced
and got autographs from their favourite
V-Reds.
Three fans included Dylan MacDonald,
JD Pollett and Blake Pollett, all a part of the
UNB Varsity Red Prospects program, and
avid Varsity Red fans.
They were decked-out in tinsel-top silver

wigs, had letters painted on their chests and
were rocking face paint in support of their
UNB hockey heroes.
Dylan said his favourite thing about the
Varsity Reds was their sportsmanship and
Travis Fullerton was his favourite player.
JD, an Oromocto Green Hornet, and
left-winter liked Ryan Seymore and his
brother Blake, who plays defence, said the
Varsity Reds were his favourite hockey
team, and all were his favorite player.

brunswickansports
Varsity Red men’s basketball get monkey off their back while on the road

Feb. 1, 2012 • Issue 19 • Volume 145 • 15

Sean O’Neill
The Brunswickan

UNB will be home this weekend at the Richard J. Currie Center to
take on the StFX X-Men. Tim Lingley / The Brunswickan

All season the UNB Varsity Reds men’s
basketball team’s itinerary looked the
same. Get on the bus, drive at least five
hours, sometimes as many as nine to
their destination, get off the bus, play
the game, get smoked on the court, head
back to Fredericton.
Going into last weekend’s trip to Cape
Breton, the Reds played four AUS road
games, losing all four by an average score
of 90-64. This is in stark contrast to its
3-3 home record where the team lost on
average 83-77.
The incredible thing is, the Reds
could very easily have won both games.
In the first game against CBU last
Friday, after a first quarter tie, the Reds
scored one - you read that correctly point in the second, which essentially
made the difference in the game. The
Capers won 83-73. An average quarter
by UNB would have meant the extra
points to make up the difference.
“We went in the crapper for that
second quarter,” said head coach Brent
Baker about the period from hell.
“We’re a team that lets our ineffective offence translate to the defensive
end and you can’t do that. They scored
some and we didn’t score. You gotta
have a certain amount of maturity on
the defensive end at all times and you

can’t lose that.”
CBU all-star Jimmy Dorsey returned
to the lineup after what was rumoured
to be a suspension last weekend, and
dominated the sheet with 27 points
on 9-18 from the field, with nine assists
and four rebounds and three steals.
Julien Smith also scored 25 for the
Capers on 50 per cent shooting. Alex
DesRoches continued his all-star-level
play for the Reds with 20 points and
eight rebounds.
Will McFee had his best game since
returning from Australia with 13 points
off the bench, and rookie point guard
Matt Daley shot 5-10 with 12 points.
That was McFee’s best game until the
next day, and the Reds’ most impressive
win of the season went hand-in-hand.
UNB beat CBU 90-88.
“We were down 16 at one point, came
all the way back,” Baker said. “[The]
Guys just kept grinding. We were down
nine or 10 in the third quarter and
Quirion hit three threes.
“The last few minutes was crazy. I
thought we had three or four calls go
against us, but the guys fought through.
They didn’t make their free throws;
we did. That was the difference in the
game.”
McFee led the team with 23 points,
including going 8-9 from the charity
stripe, and Dan Quirion returned to the
starting lineup after his ankle injury and

had a monster 19 points and 12 assists.
Dorsey and Al Alilovic led CBU with
22 points a pop.
With only seven games left in the
season and currently residing outside
of the sixth and final playoff spot, it’s
time for the V-Reds to start scoreboardwatching. UNB finally returns to the
Currie Center this week against Baker’s
alma matter StFX.
After losing long-time starters Will
Silver and Christian Upshaw, X still sits
in the top-half of the AUS standings
because of other key players like Jeremy
Dunn and Terrance Thomas.
“It’s pick your poison with that
team,” Baker said on how to defend
the X-Men.
“The one game we limited them
a bunch in transition, they banged
a bunch of threes. The next day we
stopped their three-point shooting and
they killed us in transition.”
“We have to dictate tempo against
these guys to be successful.”
The two points picked up against the
Capers could make the difference down
the stretch. After the two games against
the X-Men, the Reds finish their season
off with four games against Dalhousie
and a crucial four-point home game
against Saint Mary’s.
The games start at 8 p.m. on Friday
and 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Women’s hoops drop two more
Sean O’Neill
The Brunswickan
If the AUS women’s basketball season
ended today, UNB wouldn’t make the
playoffs. If you looked at the standings, the
Reds reside in sixth place. But if this were
the men’s standings then the sixth spot
would be the cut-off line.
With StFX hosting the AUS tournament
at the Oland Centre, the X-Women automatically gained a berth in the tournament
before a ball was tipped this season, which
leaves the Reds in a tough spot, but a place
they can recover from.
Now, if the team is to do that, efforts like
this weekend against Cape Breton will have
to become a thing of the past.
“We didn’t do anything well on Saturday and they probably played about as well
as they could play,” head coach Jeff Speedy
said, reflecting after his team’s losses 86-78
on Friday and 100-59 on Saturday.
“They’re healthy and they’re firing on all
cylinders and they have two or three of the
best players offensively in the conference.”
In both games, two players Speedy

would not have put in said category were
players who scored the most points, especially fifth-year centre Stephanie Toxopeus.
In the first game she had 19 points, 14
rebounds and 28 points in the second.
Cassie Cooke came off the bench to score
32 points in the first game - 18 of which
came from three-point land - and 18 in
the second.
Toxopeus was part of the Reds’ game
plan because they felt letting her get the
ball would be the best chance for the team
to win, instead of allowing Jessica Steed,
Tanira McClurkin or Jahlica Kirnon to
control the rock.
“We thought she was the best person
we had a chance of stopping and she was
fantastic, so hats off to her,” Speedy said.
When asked if they had the size to stop
a player in the post, Speedy said, “one-onone we don’t. They’re so potent on the
perimeter so we didn’t want to double her
because, I mean Cassie Cooke hit six threepointers in the first half (on Saturday), so if
you double her, they (Steed or McClurkin)
are gonna drain threes on your head.”
During UNB’s games in Antigonish

- which the two teams split - StFX missed
Kristen Jones from the lineup, who is healthy
and will play this weekend when UNB hosts
the X-Women at the Currie Center.
Two victories against StFX will go a long
way to determining if the Reds make or
miss the postseason.
But if the results don’t go their way, they
can look forward to the next weekend’s
doubleheader against Dalhousie. The Varsity and the Tigers are currently locked at
12 points for the final playoff spot.
Dal destroyed the X-Women last weekend 71-42, and play a four-point game at
last-place UPEI this weekend. If the Tigers
pick up those points, which they should do,
it makes the games against StFX and the
next weekend more imperative.
When the crucial games against Dalhousie were mentioned, Speedy quickly
said, “Not even thinking about that. I
haven’t looked at one second of tape of Dal,
I have to focus on X and on us.”
“We just lost by 40 so I should be thinking about us.”
Games are 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m.
Saturday.